Winter Moon
by Lovely Fox-Kit
Summary: Sequel to 'Dark Light', storyline is set in 'Balto 2: Wolf Quest' wherein Aleu is trying to find her one true place among the world, especially after learning that she's part wolf like her mother Balto. Will she find what she's searching for, or become lost on her journey of a lifetime?
1. First Time Parents

**Winter Moon (a Balto 2 fic)**

Disc.: I'll say it now so I don't have to say it later, I do _NOT _own 'Balto 2' or any of its' original characters- all that's mine is the title, the plot, and any OCs used in this story so absolutely no violent flames of any kind!

A/N: It's been some time since I finished Dark Light and I kept wondering if I should do a sequel, but thanks to the constant asking by VampyGurl I finally decided to get my ass in gear and write it out! So, this will follow our favorite couple Balto and his mate Steele as they welcome their new family to the world! By the way, I won't be changing Aleu or any of the other pups' appearance all that much except for their coat colors…Aleu will be at least a full shade darker than Balto but still 2 shades lighter than Steele, since Jenna will not have been the one to give birth to her in this fic. Her brothers and sisters will have a mix of Balto's gray and Steele's black and white coat colors, but she'll still be a wolf-dog like she is in the original movie and it seems I've just about bored you all to death with this really long author's note so it's time to wake up and smell the yaoi- enjoy, my frisky little wolf pups!

**Ch.1- First Time Parents**

The morning sun had risen over Nome and illuminated the snow with light that made it give the cold, crystalline powder a pale golden glow. It touched everything and warmed it gently much like a mother would to her children when they asked for more blankets because they were cold, even the rickety houseboat near the edge of the town was lit up by the sun's light. Balto felt the warming light on his body and snuggled into his blanket to keep from having to face the day, but didn't get much more sleep due to Boris yanking it off of him.

"Balto, is time to wake up! No extra snoozing today, little wolf."

Yawning, the wolf-dog opened his golden eyes tiredly as he saw his best friend standing in front of him with his wings on his hips like a woman that was mad at her boyfriend.

"Boris, did you have to take my blanket away like that?"

"Yes, you cannot sleep day away- have to get moving, don't want to keep mate waiting do you?"

At hearing Boris mention Steele, Balto finally got up and lazily stretched his sore muscles. 3 months after Balto saved Nome from Ditheria, he had brought Steele to meet Boris and introduced him to the goose as his mate. Boris didn't really mind that Balto had a male mate, but he threatened Steele that if he ever hurt his little wolf that he would personally castrate the Malamute, to which Steele quickly nodded in agreement.

When Balto jumped down into the snow from the houseboat, he stumbled a little bit…something seemed off with him today, maybe he was still waking up? But that shouldn't still be going on even after 3 weeks, should it? He just shook it off as him still being tired, and headed into the town that called him a hero and one that he was finally starting to call home.

Balto smiled at the townspeople and graciously accepted their touching and petting. He waved at the other dogs that praised him for helping them, even some of the females greeted him. As he kept walking through the town, Balto felt that something still wasn't right with him…he felt warm all over and it seemed his strength was leaving him, right before he collapsed into the snow and passed out he saw Steele running up to him with a worried look on his face.

"Balto, what's wrong love?! Can you hear me!? Balto!"

Rick was also walking through the town when he saw that Balto had collapsed. He walked up to the unconscious half-breed and sniffed him, a sigh of relief coming from between his lips but a concerned expression settling on his face as he looked at Steele seriously.

"Steele, he doesn't look so good…we should probably get him to the vet, make sure there's nothing wrong with him. I'll help you carry him, alright?"

The Malamute nodded, both dogs picking Balto up and carrying him to the veterinarian's office near the hospital.

(1 hour later)

Balto slowly opened his eyes when he felt a soft tongue start caressing his lips, Steele's happy face finally coming into focus along with a German Shepherd that he'd only met a couple of times.

"Hello, Balto. I'm Rick, Steele's best friend…you gave us both quite a scare when you collapsed so suddenly, are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm feeling better now."

"Well that's good, the doctor was saying something about you being a once in a lifetime case- any idea what he means by that?"

"Yeah, I may have some idea but even _I _don't completely understand it myself. I've had my suspicions about what's been going on with me for the last few weeks, but wasn't really 100% certain until I overheard the doctor talking about it just now."

Steele and Rick were both confused, but Steele even more so because his mate had known somewhat and never spoke of it until today.

"Steele, you may want to sit down for this…you too Rick. Alright, this is something my mother told me when I was still just a pup. She said that the great Inuit spirits wanted to give all wolf-dogs a chance to share in the miracle of life, both male _and_ female were given this opportunity but it only occurs for both genders if their wolf-dogs like myself and only if the mother is a wolf."

"Balto, what are you getting at?" Steele asked rather impatiently.

"Look, to sum it up what the doctor meant when he said that I'm a once in a lifetime case is that I'm pregnant. And they're your pups, Steele."

Rick and Steele let the information settle in before each had their own different reactions to the situation. Rick smiled and hugged the expecting wolf-dog happily, while Steele fainted from the shock of it all.

Yup, these next four months would be very difficult.

T.B.C.- Well, Balto's pregnant and Steele's gonna be a daddy! How will these next months test our favorite mated pair? Read on to find out!


	2. Severed Heart

**Winter Moon (a Balto 2 fic)**

Disc.: Only in my fantasies is Balto 2 mine officially, but in reality all I own is the mind that supplies these chapters to everyone who reads them.

A/N: Welcome to Chapter 2 of Winter Moon, last time Steele fainted after learning that his very male mate Balto is pregnant and he's gonna be a daddy! So, I'm thinking that it's time for Roscoe to find out he's gonna be a grandfather, and maybe I'll have Jenna's reputation dragged through the mud even more than it was in the previous fic…because I love tarnishing good girls like her and ruining them- within legal and realistic reason, of course. Now, time for the chapter to get started! Enjoy, all my lovelies who review my stories!

**Ch.2- Severed Heart**

Steele had finally come back to conscious reality after roughly 25 minutes, Rick was helping him up by grabbing his collar between his teeth and pulling him into a sitting position.

"Steele, you okay? You blacked out for a while there, is everything still functioning properly?"

"I don't know, Rick…but I just had the weirdest dream, Balto said that he was pregnant and that the puppies are mine."

Balto looked down at his mate from the examination table that he was sitting on before jumping off and landing in front of his mate. He closed the relatively short distance between them and sat down right in front of Steele, a smile forming on his face before he lifted his mate's paw and placed it on his stomach.

"It wasn't a dream Steele, it's true…I am pregnant, and they are your pups- do you feel that? They're moving around, only a little bit at a time but they're definitely moving."

Steele could no longer deny the truth, the pups were there as he felt them squirming inside of Balto's still semi-flat stomach. This brought a huge smile to the Malamute's face, his dreams of being a father with a loving mate were finally happening, and nothing would ruin this moment for them.

(Time skip- 2 months)

Steele woke up on the rug in Rosie's house, the warmth from the fire earlier that morning still surrounding and washing over him in soothing waves. When Rosie had followed Steele a month ago out to Balto's home, she and her family were shocked that their town's hero was living alone on a houseboat in the freezing cold. They soon made arrangements for living conditions for the wolf-dog savior of Nome and from that day onward Balto was living with them.

It made him uncomfortable at first, but after they had learned of Balto's pregnancy on top of his horrid living conditions they decided it would be better for the wolf-dog to live with them from now on, they even had a loft built for Boris after he'd gotten sad when they chased the visiting goose away.

So, here was Steele's current situation…he was laying on a warm rug near the fireplace with Balto cuddled up against him on his side, the wolf-dog making sure not to lay on top of the puppies growing inside of him, his stomach had now started becoming round with the puppies in his womb. They had also found out that with special cases like Balto's, he would have to have a cesarean when it came time to actually have the puppies because he didn't have a birth canal like the female dogs of the small town. Only three more months and both dogs would be parents.

But Steele just couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen to them, he wasn't sure what exactly it was but it probably was going to happen very soon.

Back to Steele's 'situation'…he leaned down and gently kissed Balto on the side of his nose, which earned him a giggle from his mate. Steele then licked his upper jaw, which made the wolf-dog moan slightly in pleasure, before gently nipping his cheek- which finally made Balto open his eyes and smile at his mate.

"Morning, beautiful…did you sleep well?" Steele asked in a loving voice, which in turn made Balto's smile grow even wider before answering Steele's question.

"Morning to you too…and yes, I slept well. So, only three more months before we're parents. Aren't you excited, Steele? I hope at least one of them looks like you, but with my mother's eyes."

"What color were your mother's eyes?"

"Blue."

"Well then, I too would love a pup with blue eyes…but I want at least three of them to have your eyes."

Balto just giggled at his loving mate's hopefulness of puppy eye colors…yes, only three more months and the litter growing inside of Balto would be born.

And the parents of that litter were definitely anticipating their arrival.

(Time skip- another 2 months)

Balto walked through the town, his baby bump by now was very noticeable. It looked like the wolf-dog had eaten one too many boxes of dog treats and then slept them off every day, but the dogs and the doctors of the town all knew better. Despite his being pregnant with only one month left before it was time to give birth, Balto was still in surprisingly good shape…Steele had insisted that Balto get up and walk around a little bit each day so he wouldn't get out of shape between now and when it was time to actually go into labor, he had never felt any happier than he did right now.

Even though he never once noticed the hateful chocolate eyes of a certain Husky bitch out to wreak havoc on the happily expecting parents in a way neither of them would expect.

(Time skip- 5th month, night)

Steele and Balto were lying together on the rug in the middle of the den. The due date for the pups was fast approaching, they could come at any time. Every once in a while, Balto would either turn away from his mate or snuggle closer into his warm fur in an effort to get comfortable and wait until the tell tale signs of labor would be induced.

After turning over on either side for three hours, Balto felt a sharp pain rip through his body…like someone had grabbed his tail and turned it inside out after tying it up into knots several times in a row. He let out a howl loud enough to wake everyone in the house, Patrick rushing into the den and putting his hand on Balto's stomach, he knew what this meant- the wolf-dog's stomach tightening followed by terrified and painful whimpers meant that Balto was going into labor.

As quickly as humanly possible, Patrick woke his wife and daughter, put his boots on, and picked Balto up to put him in the truck that would take them all to the veterinary hospital…Steele hugging his mate close and giving him gentle kisses to soothe his pain until the task of pup birth(1) was over.

(3 hours later)

Patrick saw that the sun was starting to color the sky dark blue, a sign that sunrise would be occurring soon. He was about to fall asleep again when the doctor came out and stopped in front of him, a smile on his face as he motioned for the man and Steele to follow him into the emergency room. Balto was sleeping in a dog bed with his puppies lying near his now flat stomach, their eyes had yet to open but they were content for the time being knowing that their mother was sleeping close by.

"Mr. Jodelle(2), I am pleased to announce that Balto came through the delivery beautifully. He has six gorgeous puppies to tend for, they've just been fed and you'll have to bottle feed them with help from your family when Balto deems it necessary for them to eat…he'll let you know when it's time to do so, just trust him on that. As for the pups, there are 4 boys and 2 girls. Right now, I think it best for the pups' father to spend some time alone with his family."

Patrick got the message and left Steele in the room alone with Balto and their pups while the two men left, closing the door quietly behind them.

After making sure the humans were really gone, Balto woke up and looked at his mate tiredly. That didn't stop him from smiling at Steele and motioned for him to come see his puppies, talking quietly so as not to wake the sleeping bundles of joy next to his stomach as they snuggled into his side.

"Come look at them Steele, they won't bite…yet."

Steele cautiously walked over and stared down at the puppies next to Balto. He just kept staring at them, a smile forming on his face as he took in the scene of his family.

His puppies.

The puppies that had been created with him and his mate.

The dream of being a father now a reality as he happily cried while nuzzling Balto affectionately.

"Balto, they're…absolutely beautiful, just like their mother. Thank you for giving me this chance to be a father, and for being their mother."

"You're very welcome Steele, this is everything we could have ever hoped for…a family of six, just like we've always wanted."

Neither dog said anything else, they just enjoyed this moment together…this moment with their new family.

However, their happiness would soon be shattered…by a certain Husky with brown eyes.

T.B.C.- Yay, the puppies are finally here! Now then, time for explanations!

1- Since Balto and Steele are dogs, you can't really call it childbirth since they're not human so I called it pup birth instead because of them being…well, dogs!

2- Technically, they never mentioned Rosie's last name in the movie so I gave her one- Rosie Jodelle, I think it fits don't you?

And finally, names! I'm keeping Aleu's name the same, but what of her siblings? Should their names be the same as they are in the second and third movie or should I change them? Reviews with suggestions and answers, please! Thank you!


	3. Family

**Winter Moon (a Balto 2 fic)**

Disc.: Only in my fantasies is Balto 2 mine officially, but in reality all I own is the mind that supplies these chapters to everyone who reads them.

A/N: Finally, I've escaped from my insane muse called writers' block…sometimes, I think he doesn't want me to finish the story but for all of you I will! Anyway, here's the next chapter- naming the pups and watching them grow up into productive adults that will benefit the town in many ways, enjoy everypony!

**Ch.3- Family**

Balto and Steele just looked down at the pups that slept in the large dog bed nearby, the wolf-dog being especially protective of them since this was his first litter and he didn't want them out of his sight. Steele would also keep an eye on them, his sons and daughters made with love by him and his beautiful mate. They all had some form of grey-brown and black fur tones with some white, except for one of the pups…one of the girls, she looked almost like Balto except her coat was three full shades darker than his; on top of that she looked the most like a wolf. To say that both parents were astonished at this was like saying that winter was blazing hot, it puzzled them at first. But then again, Balto was half wolf so maybe she had inherited more of that side than her siblings.

"Steele, maybe it's time we thought about names?"

The Malamute looked at his mate, a smile settling on his face at the prospect of getting to name the puppies with Balto.

"Alright…well, what names will we give the boys?"

"How about…Dakota, Dingo, and Kodiak?"

Steele considered these names for a minute before smiling at his mate, he liked them…they suited the pups very well, now all that was left was to name the girls- and Steele had the perfect names in mind for them.

"Perfect, and the names for the girls will be…Sara-Beth, Esther, and…"

"Steele?"

"I was thinking that maybe _you_ should name the one who looks the most like you, after all she looks the most like a wolf."

Balto was rather confused at this, he loved the names that Steele had come up with for the girls…but to think he'd want him to name the last one, it showed Balto that Steele greatly respected the wolf half of him.

"Um…how about Aleu? It's loosely based on my mother's name, Anieu."

Steele thought the name over for a minute, he liked the way it sounded when spoken…he then smiled at Balto before giving him an affectionate nuzzle, causing the wolf-dog to smile happily as he leaned into the gentle touch.

"As usual, you have great taste in names my love…Aleu it is."

Both mates smiled happily before laying down near the dog bed, nothing could break the serenity of this moment between the now complete family.

(2 months later)

Balto was currently playing with his pups, the little ones running around the water where the houseboat was sitting. Boris was also playing with them, although he couldn't help but notice that Aleu was becoming more and more like a wolf every day. When he told Balto about this, the wolf-dog almost blew a fuse at the goose's words. So, after much yelling and arguing Boris had decided to let the subject drop or else risk the wolf-dog getting pissed off again.

As the pups played with their mother, they soon ran off towards the hill nearby. When Balto looked over to where his pups had gone, he saw Steele coming towards them. When the puppies ran up to him shouting "Daddy!", he smiled as he too began playfully nipping at their heels and tails. Balto smiled at the scene before him, these were the days he loved the most…the days when Steele would set aside time to play with their children, but it seemed as though the Malamute had come to see Balto for a different reason than to play with his pups.

"Balto, can you come down here? We need to talk, it's about the puppies."

"Sure, Steele. I'll be down in a minute."

Balto said and not even a minute later he was walking towards his mate, paws gently padding across the powdery snow sitting on the shore. The two shared a quick kiss before Steele looked at his mate seriously, they needed to discuss their children before it got to be too late in the day.

"Balto, you know I love you and the pups right?"

"Yeah…?"

"Well, they're already two months old…I think it's time that they should go to new homes, don't you?"

Balto was taken aback by what his mate said, was Steele really thinking about giving them away?

"What?! But, I thought we'd be raising them together, now you want to get rid of them!?"

"Balto, love…it's not like we won't see them again, they'll be adopted by people in town so we can still visit them whenever we want to. Besides, I was their age when I was adopted by my girl Rosie…you know that what I'm saying is hard but necessary, so don't be too distraught over this my love."

Balto looked away for a moment, ears back in distress…but he knew deep in his heart that his mate was right, it was finally time to say goodbye to the pups.

"I'm sorry, Steele. You're right, they need to go to new homes…and can we really see them again?"

"Yes, my dear. Now, let's get them into town."

(3 days later)

Balto and Steele looked at their pups happily, their children were going to be adopted by respectable people who would love them for their whole lives. The box they were sitting in was tall enough to where the pups couldn't easily climb out, but also so that they could run around without feeling cramped.

Dingo was jumping around excitedly, today he was going to get a human friend to play with!

"I can't wait to be adopted by a human so that I can chew on their socks!"

Dakota rolled his eyes playfully at his brother's antics, but he was just as excited as his brother to get adopted.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to chew on everything I can get my teeth around!"

"Mommy, are you gonna get a human too?" Sara-Beth asked Balto, who just smiled at his daughter sweetly.

"Nah, humans want cute and adorable puppies like you and your siblings…not scruffy old grown-ups like me and your dad, besides your dad already _has_ a human."

As the two parents regarded their children happily, a little boy ran up to the box excitedly.

"Mommy look, puppies! Can I have one, please?"

(6 hours later)

By the time the sun set, the box that once held Balto and Steele's puppies was empty…just like the wolf-dog's heart. It broke him to watch his children get taken away like they were for the last 6 hours, tears running down his face as he watched them get picked up and carried off by humans. Yes, all the puppies had been adopted…except for Aleu, who was sleeping in the box.

"Steele, what are we gonna do? No human will take Aleu because…"

"I know, Balto. It's because a lot of humans still fear wolves, they don't want any kind of puppy that even _looks_ like a wolf running around their house. So, what will happen to Aleu now that no one will take her into their home with them?"

Balto stared down at his only remaining daughter, she retained Balto's wolf-like looks but her coat colors were definitely a mix of both parents. Her top coat was at least 3 full shades darker than her mother's, with gray-white underneath that spanned across her belly, legs, and under her tail. Her eyes were a light blue that was the same color as her late grandmother Anieu.

"I'll raise her, and when the time comes I'll reveal to her the secret of her origins. I just hope I'm not making a mistake by doing this."

"Balto, you could _never_ make a mistake in raising our daughter. I'll be around to help out as well, she's my daughter just as much as she is yours."

"Yes, Steele…she's _our_ daughter."

The mates smiled down at Aleu, neither of them noticing that a certain Husky bitch was glaring hatefully at them the whole time.

T.B.C.- Well, that was really sad for Balto to watch his children go off to new homes…he's so lucky to have Steele there to make him feel better! So, what will happen next? Read on to find out!


	4. Truth And Lies

**Winter Moon (a Balto 2 fic)**

Disc.: Only in my fantasies is Balto 2 mine officially, but in reality all I own is the mind that supplies these chapters to everyone who reads them.

A/N: I apologize to all those who have been waiting for the next chapter, but other projects have kept me so busy…I have practically zilch time management skills, so please forgive me everyone. To make up for that, here's Ch.4!

**Ch.4- Truth And Lies**

(2 years later)

Muk and Luk were walking around the forest, their hearts beating rapidly. Earlier, they'd heard the howl of a wolf and were scared that the beast had come to make a meal out of them. Muk felt the hairs on his neck stand up when he saw a flash of movement in the trees, Luk grabbing onto him for dear life and squeezing him so tight that he thought if the wolf didn't kill him then his friend definitely would. After a few more minutes of trying in vain to avoid their pursuer, both polar bears were tackled by the wolf that was trying to kill them.

Their immediate fear, however, turned to joy when they heard the familiar howl of their friend Aleu.

"I win again, guys. Ya know, if you're gonna play hide and seek then you should actually _try_ hiding for once." Aleu said, a playful pout settling on her face as her light blue eyes sparkled mischievously.

Before any of them could play in the woods again, they all heard a branch snap and looked over to see a hunter with a gun. He was pointing it at Aleu, the weapon trained on her and ready to fire at any moment.

"A human?" Aleu looked at the man, he appeared to be Inuit in appearance. But she didn't care, it seemed this man was here to take her so she started running towards him with a happy smile on her face. Before she could get near him, Balto jumped in between them and tackled the man who'd taken aim at his daughter.

Aleu was shocked, how could her mother attack this human?

"Mama, what are you doing?!"

"What does it look like? I'm saving your life!"

"Stop hurting him, he wants to take me home!"

"No, he doesn't! He's gonna hurt you, that's what hunters do- they kill animals like us for sport!" after a few minutes of struggling, Balto had managed to get the hunter away from Aleu. He then motioned for her to follow after him, his expression leaving no room for argument as they ran off towards the houseboat. The hunter watched them leave, confusion settling on his face.

"Huh…the Spirits must be upset with me, but why?"

(The houseboat, early evening)

"Mom, how could you interfere like that?! What if he wanted to adopt me, like my brothers and sisters?!"

"Aleu, if that were the case then he wouldn't have pointed a gun at you! I mean, what kind of human does something like that to a pet they'd like to bring home? He was a hunter, and to him you looked like a threat. I'm telling you this for your own good, you have to be more careful! If your father was here, he'd tell you exactly the same thing."

"But I don't understand why he'd attack me, I'm a dog aren't I?!"

"No…you're only half, like me you also have wolf's blood in you."

Aleu just stared at her mother, wide eyed and shocked. If this was a joke, then it sure as hell wasn't funny.

"You…you're lying, please tell me that's not true."

Balto sighed, he hadn't wanted to tell her like this but it seemed that there was no turning back now.

"No, it's true. You do carry wolf's blood in you, and that's partly my doing. You see, your grandfather Logan was a Husky who had pups with your grandmother Anieu. Because of them, I was born a wolf-dog and now you carry the wolf side of you in your blood like I do."

"But…if what you're saying is true, then why didn't you tell me this sooner?! Didn't your mother tell you what you're telling me!?"

"No, she didn't. I got separated from her when I was really young, so the only one to tell me of my own origins was my twin sister Layla…but she was killed by humans years ago."

"And what of my brothers and sisters? If they have wolf's blood in them, then why were they adopted by humans?!"

"Because they don't look it…and you do."

"So then, does that make me half beast? A horrible creature that's so dangerous humans will never want me!?"

"Aleu, that's not-"

"I should have known that there was a reason why no human ever wanted me, but keeping this a secret from me until now…that's low, even for you mom!" as Balto sat there ashamed, Aleu jumped out the window and ran off towards the forest, tears streaming down her face.

"Aleu, come back!"

"Leave me alone!"

That was the last time that night that Balto saw his daughter, he knew that she needed time to herself so he curled up on the deck of the houseboat and fell asleep.

As Aleu ran through the woods, the stars watched her every move. She soon became tired and sat down on a rock to let her thoughts settle. True, she was still angry with her mom for lying to her and keeping her origins a secret until today, but that thought only made her more depressed.

"Where do I belong? Someone, anyone, please give me a sign."

Aleu looked at the moon, tears trailing down her face but finally stopping when she heard the cawing of a raven. She looked up at the midnight messenger and smiled as it landed on a tree branch nearby.

"Maybe you can help me, do you know where I belong?"

The raven squawked again, preening itself before taking off into the woods and Aleu decided to follow it.

She knew that she would never find answers if she stayed with her mother, so she followed the raven as it flew between trees. Neither of her parents were aware that she'd embarked on a patronage alone.

And neither of them would know until she was gone.

T.B.C.- Wow, so much drama…more shall arrive soon, so stick around for it!


	5. Pilgrimage

**Winter Moon (a Balto 2 fic)**

Disc.: Only in my fantasies is Balto 2 mine officially, but in reality all I own is the mind that supplies these chapters to everyone who reads them.

A/N: Sorry to all my readers for my very long hiatus, but work keeps me busy and writer's block keeps me from focusing on this story until I complete chapters for other stories…so, without further adieu, I will commence with the chapter!

**Ch.5- Pilgrimage**

As the sun began barely peeking over the horizon, Balto was tossing and turning in his sleep. He was trapped in another nightmare, it was the same one he'd been having for about 3 months and he couldn't shake the feeling that it was trying to tell him something very important. After another hour of rolling around on his side, Balto finally woke up and yawned. As he stretched, Muk and Luk were tiptoeing around the deck while giggling…this had Balto curious, what could they be doing that made them act so sneaky, especially this early in the morning?

"What are you guys doing?"

The bears looked over at him, Luk gesturing at him to keep his voice down.

"Shh, we're here to play with Aleu…but it looks like she's not here to play with us." Muk sat down at this point and whimpered sadly.

"Oh, well I'm sure she's around here somewhere…wait, you mean you can't find her?!"

Both bears nodded, and this made the wolf-dog scared. If this were true, then Aleu didn't come back last night after their little blowout.

"This is bad, I should have gone after her and tried to bring her back…I have to tell Steele, he needs to know about this. I can only pray that he's not mad at me for not doing anything to stop her from running off like that."

Balto said as he jumped off the houseboat and ran into town, the sun following him as he ran to his mate's house…hoping that Steele was in a listening mood.

(Steele's House, morning)

As Steele sat up and stretched himself, he idly wondered if Balto would be up for a romp through the woods. It'd been so long since he and his beautiful mate had spent some quality time together without any humans around to interrupt them. As he got up and went to his water bowl, he heard the sounds of someone climbing up towards his window. He looked over to see that it was Balto sitting on the stack of boxes next to the windowsill, and from the look on his face Steele could only guess that something had happened with Aleu.

"Steele, are you up yet?"

"Yes Balto, I'm awake. Is something wrong, my love?"

"It's Aleu…can we talk?"

"Sure, let me join you outside. After all, _I _may be up but I doubt my girl and her family are at this hour." Steele said as he trotted over towards his mate and gave him a good morning kiss on the lips, after it ended he jumped out onto the stack of boxes and then onto the ground, the snow not even bothering either of them as they both stood near the house and began talking about their daughter.

"So Balto, what's wrong with Aleu?"

"Well, yesterday a hunter almost shot her but I managed to get her to safety. I then told her why no humans ever adopted her, how she looks more like a wolf than her siblings. We got into a fight and she ran away, I thought that if I gave her some space she'd come back after blowing off some steam, but I woke up and she wasn't home."

Steele was shocked, more than anything he was scared. Aleu may live with Balto, but she was still very much his little girl, and she was alone in the woods or even further away?!

"Ran away!? We have to find her, bring her back home…who knows what could happen to her out there?!"

"I know Steele, and it's all my fault…I should've gone after her and brought her home before this happened, but I was more concerned with her needing time to cool off than even considering that she wouldn't come back."

"Balto, love, don't blame yourself for that. You did what you felt was right, even if it was the wrong choice. I know that you're gonna go after her alone, and I just want both of you to make it back here safely. Can you promise me that, Balto? That you'll bring her back home safe and sound?"

"Yes, I promise I'll bring her home safe. I don't know how long I'll be gone looking for her, but I know that you'll be with me every step of the way."

Steele nodded at his mate and they both shared one more quick kiss and a hug before Balto ran off towards the woods, the Malamute already becoming worried over the dangers that his family would face in the coming days.

He could only hope that they would find a way to keep out of trouble.

[With Aleu, morning]

Aleu could feel the sun peeking into the cave she'd found the previous night, the warm rays gently caressing her eyelids like the first spring breeze. If this is what running wild brought her every morning, then she saw no reason to go home. As she opened her eyes, her ears picked up the distant sound of someone singing, it was a very nice melody despite the fact that it was far away. Aleu decided to let her curiosity guide her through the cave as the song got louder and louder until she found the source of the tune, it was being sung by a mouse.

Apparently he was so busy singing that he hadn't even noticed she was there with him until she let out a soft howl that echoed gently off the walls, his eyes widening and a smile coming onto his face.

"Your singing is so beautiful."

Aleu hadn't even realized that she had been singing with him, the melody was uplifting to the point where she couldn't help but join in.

"Oh, thank you. I didn't mean to disturb you, it's just that the song was really pretty and I couldn't help but be captivated by it."

"Oh no, it's alright. I love the songs of a wolf, they're always so beautiful."

"I am _not _a wolf. I am Aleu, daughter of Balto and Steele…who exactly are you, little one?"

"I am Maru, son of Quilla and Kojak…both of them simple field mice. It would seem to me that you're lost in more ways than one dear Aleu, you say that you're _not_ a wolf, yet you look like one."

"What exactly do you mean by that, Maru?"

"If you really wish to know, then you must follow the raven to the place where land meets sea. There, you will meet someone who can give you the answers that you seek, but be warned, the road is dangerous and the journey far…but at the end of it, you will have found what you are looking for."

Aleu was, if anything, even more confused than before. But she didn't have time to ponder on Maru's words, because she heard the deep growl of a brown bear. Aleu looked behind her to see that her ears had heard right, there was a huge brown bear behind her, eyes glowing red and jaw dripping with saliva as it let out a deep roar. Aleu bolted out of the cave, the bear close behind.

(With Balto)

The wolf-dog was traversing a cliff, he'd already wasted enough time by entertaining a trio of wolverines and before them a cunning fox. He was running out of time, the wind had started getting cold, and that meant that winter was on the way. As he made his way across the rocky surface, Balto heard the telltale roar of a brown bear…and the frightened panting of his daughter, his ears going back in worry and his eyes widening in desperation as he ran to help her before the bear made a meal out of her.

(With Aleu)

Aleu had managed to get out of the cave but the bear was still after her, its' jaws dripping with saliva and she was running out of room to run. She soon found herself near the edge of the cliff, another step backwards and she'd fall to her death if the bear didn't kill her first. As she closed her eyes and braced herself for the painful blow of the other animal's massive paw, Aleu heard a very familiar growl and opened her eyes to see none other than Balto wrestling with the bear, a threatening growl escaping his throat as he tried to get the other huge animal to back away.

"Mama, what are you doing?!"

"What's it look like? I'm saving your life…again."

"I meant what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take you home, your father is worried sick and so was I."

"Well I'm not going back yet, at least not until I figure out who I am."

"I'm your mother, and I'm taking you home after we're done here…now do as I say!"

"And I say I'm too big to be ordered around!"

"When the hell did you get so stubborn?"

"I got it from you, remember?"

The two couldn't really argue too much longer because the bear had them both on the edge of the cliff, one more step backwards and it wouldn't end well for either of them. Aleu looked at the bear, and her eyes began to glow for a few seconds before they returned to their normal blue. She then looked at her mother, her eyes darting behind her to what lay beyond the cliff.

"Mama, we have to jump."

Balto looked at his daughter like she'd grown a second head, was she seriously insisting that they jump off the cliff and possibly to their deaths?

"Are you crazy, Aleu?! We'll die from doing that!"

"Just trust me, mom…I know what I'm doing." Aleu said as she jumped off the cliff, Balto reluctantly following after her. When the bear got close enough to see that its' prey had escaped by plummeting to the forest below, it disappeared as if it were never there in the first place. After 10 minutes, Balto opened his eyes expecting his body to be broken and Aleu to be dead…but what greeted him was the fact that both were on a ledge and alive.

"How did you know the ledge was here?" the wolf-dog asked his daughter curiously, he wanted answers whether she wanted to give them or not.

"I'm not sure how I knew, I just did. When I looked into the bear's eyes, I saw it there and knew we'd live if we jumped."

"Well, that answers a question but raises more. In any case, we need to go home…your father is worried about you, and so was I."

"I told you mom, I'm not going home until I figure out who I am." Balto watched as his daughter looked out over the endless expanse of green pine trees, an exasperated sigh escaping his lips.

"Aleu don't be ridiculous, you already know who you are."

"Mama, I know _what _I am but not _who _I am…that's why I'm not stopping until I find out."

"Well then, I'm coming with you if you're gonna insist on being this stubborn about it."

Aleu turned to her mother and smiled, which also brought a smile to Balto's face. The two decided that they wouldn't be getting anywhere by just admiring the scenery, so they began jumping down the adjoining ledges until they were standing on the ground before taking off towards the south…neither knowing that soon enough, they'd meet their 'extended' family.

T.B.C.- Wow, mother and daughter have reunited at last! But what awaits them on their journey? Read on to find out!


	6. Raven Star

**Winter Moon (a Balto 2 fic)**

Disc.: Only in my fantasies is Balto 2 mine officially, but in reality all I own is the mind that supplies these chapters to everyone who reads them.

A/N: Lately I find myself listening to a lot of Lunascape and remembering why I love this particular band so much, they're definitely my most favorite non-American group aside from the many different Kpop groups I listen to. But, this isn't about me, it's about you guys who give a lot of love to stories like this one…if anyone has a song they'd like me to include in a chapter, please tell me so in a review or message. Time to begin, so enjoy the show!

**Ch.6- Raven Star**

The two wolf-dogs kept making their way through the forest, only stopping when night fell and they had to rest. As soon as the sun rose up over the mountains, they would go as far as they could until night fell once more. This was their routine for roughly 5 days, and on the morning of the 6th day, Aleu put her nose to the wind only to smile as she caught the scent of saltwater and mangroves.

"Mama, do you smell that?"

Balto looked at his daughter incredulously, it seemed that she'd caught the scent of something exciting…if her smile was anything to go by.

"What?"

"It's the ocean! We're almost there, mama!"

"Aleu, slow down- you'll slip and fall if you run across wet rocks!"

Balto sighed as he chased after his daughter, she never could keep her excitement contained for very long when she smelled something different…he chalked it up to Steele's genes getting mixed in with his own, his heart sinking somewhat as he realized that it'd been nearly 2 weeks since he'd left his mate behind to search for their AWOL daughter and bring her home.

As Aleu gazed out at the ocean, a smile settled on her face at seeing the endless expanse of blue. Her heart soared at seeing dolphins jump and orcas exhale a huge blast of water from their blowholes, the only thing she'd seen back home were fish jumping out of the water to catch bugs for lunch. While she took in the glorious sights, a trio of wolves started to approach her, her ears picking up their soft padding and turning to look at them.

One of them was very husky with chestnut brown and white fur, his Russian accent a surprise to her for she'd never heard such a dialect before today. The second was a mangy looking sand colored wolf, his body very thin and lanky with fleas crawling all over his fur, she had to try not to cringe when he started scratching himself very harshly. The last wolf was dark brown with light brown fur and a menacing look in his eyes, Aleu deciding that she didn't like any of these wolves and flattened her ears back in discomfort.

"Well, what have we here? Mangy she wolf pup, walking on our turf!"

"Yeah, she's gonna get punished for that, eh?"

"I want first crack at her, we have no place for trespassers."

Once again, Aleu found herself on the receiving end of trouble and she hated every second of it.

"Look guys, I don't want trouble…me and my mother are just passing through, so just let us go."

"Yeah, well…trouble's found you! Let's get her boys!"

As the wolves advanced on her, Balto stepped between them and in front of his daughter. He almost lost her to a bear, he certainly wasn't gonna lose her to three pack strays.

"Not so fast, if you want her then you'll have to go through me you damn filthy mutts!"

The three wolves turned their attention to the newcomer, they could smell the Husky in him and they crinkled their noses in disgust. If there was one thing many of them couldn't stand, it was a wolf-dog that thought he was better than them as they all started fighting with each other. As the fight dragged on, they were stopped by a deep and commanding voice.

"What in the hell do you fucking idiots think you're doing?"

Aleu let her gaze shift to a strong looking wolf standing behind the three that were just attacking them, a blush finding its' way onto her face. He was obviously a dominant, he had dark blue fur that almost looked black in the sunlight and blue-white fur on his stomach. His charcoal black eyes fell upon her and her mother, and both could see that he meant business as he advanced on them.

"Don't you know that you can't be soft on half breeds like them? If we show any mercy, they'll take everything and leave us with nothing!"

Before the four wolves could even attempt to attack them again, they heard another voice…this one was much older than them and also much wiser, it held years of wisdom in its' depths and drew their attention to it as he spoke.

"That's enough Troy, Kenneth, and Jeff. Go back to the mountain and wait for us there, and as for you Niju…I'm ashamed at you for not recognizing the ones that Anieu has sent to help aid us in our most troubled time of need, will you clear the way for our visitors?"

"Shut the fuck up, Nava- they're obviously here to steal our land from us, and you wanna just let them go on through as if they belong here?!"

"Niju, I have been told of their coming by Anieu…she spoke to me in my dreams, and mentioned to me their importance. They have arrived to help us in the coming days, so I shall ask you again…will you clear the way for our visitors?"

"No!"

Nava sighed, there was no reasoning with his lover when he was worked up like this and on the defensive, so he had to call on the spirit of the sea to soothe Niju's angered disposition.

'_Forgive me for doing this to you my love, but I have no other choice at the moment seeing as you will not heed my plea.'_

As if by some divine miracle (or curse), an orca appeared not too far from the shore and blew a massive water spout that landed right on top of the enraged wolf, making Balto and Aleu laugh at him as Niju walked off while glaring at his lover…a low growl escaping his throat as he went off to sulk.

"Someday your tricks will not be enough to save you, Nava."

The sand colored wolf shook his head at the dark furred wolf, he really hated doing this to him but at times like this the only way to get Niju to listen was to take action against him and his pride.

"I apologize Niju, but maybe next time you'll heed my advice when given. As for the both of you, welcome to our little home. I am Nava, and I am the one who is in command of this pack. The dark wolf you met was Niju, and it's rather awkward of me to say this, but he's my mate."

Balto smiled at Nava, he knew exactly where he was coming from. At certain times in their marriage, Steele had a tendency to become unreasonable around other dogs…especially those who wasted his time for no reason or even insulted Balto, that was when he got really mad and would snap at other dogs to vent his anger.

"Oh yeah, I know what you mean…my Steele is kinda like Niju at times, usually when he gets angry and I sympathize with you. Anyway, I'm-"

"Balto, son of Anieu and Logan. I know who you are, for she told me that you would be coming here to aid us."

"You spoke with my mother?"

"Yes, through visions and my dreams. But she never told me you'd be bringing a female along with you, is she your surrogate for bearing puppies?"

"No, this is Aleu. She's my daughter through natural birth, we came from a human town and I had her there with the help of humans."

"I see, well congratulations on a safe delivery and birth. As for why we need you, the reason is-"

Before Nava could finish what he was going to tell the two wolf-dogs, Niju came back to finish what he'd started…and this time, his target was his mate as he lunged at him.

"Nava, I'm warning you…if you let them into our pack, you'll bring about our downfall- and I refuse to let that happen!"

As Niju jumped at his mate, he disappeared in a flurry of mist. This confused everyone present, but it only made Niju even angrier than before as he huffed and walked off indignantly.

"You can't hide from me forever, Nava! You'll have to come out some time, and when you do I'm gonna rape you so hard you won't be able to walk for a damned week!"

Balto paled slightly at hearing the angered tone that Niju used, but what disturbed him even more was the slightly sexual purr added to it at the last minute. Aleu's eyes began glowing again as she looked at the tree that was on the cliff they were occupying, she saw what Nava had done. After a few minutes, he stepped out from behind the tree to greet Balto and his daughter.

"Wow, how'd you do that?" Aleu asked excitedly, causing Nava to smile at her.

"Simple, really…I told the tree I needed to hide from my sexually frustrated lover and attached my soul to it and gave him the slip until it was safe to come out."

"Wow, if I ever tried that, I think I might get splinters." Balto said amusedly as the three of them walked off towards the mountain where the rest of Nava's pack was staying.

As night fell, Nava had the pack assembled to tell them all what he'd been told by Anieu. Balto and Aleu stood next to him while Niju was standing nearby fuming.

"Attention brothers and sisters, this is Balto and his daughter Aleu. They've come to help us with our most dire situation, Anieu has spoken to me and she says that…the caribou will not be crossing over to us this year, they will stay in the forests until next spring."

Many groans and whimpers were heard around the three of them, particularly from the pregnant females who needed the sustenance for their growing pups. One of the females to speak up was a red and white wolf named Sasha, her voice obviously concerned.

"What are we to do if the caribou will not be coming this year, Nava?"

"I have been told by Anieu that her son will be of great assistance to us, as will his daughter Aleu. We must enlist their aid if we are to survive before the harsh winter sets in."

"Ha! Just what could those two mutts possibly do to help us? We cannot rely on them to help us survive, they're practically outsiders and have no place among us!"

"Niju, Anieu has spoken to me-"

"But only in dreams and visions, her words hold no sway over me…and they shouldn't over the rest of you, it's only a matter of time before the other packs realize how weak we've become and take us out! Very soon, what little food we have left they'll take from us…I'm not afraid to follow my own words, and I refuse to follow the ridiculous words of a wolf whose time has clearly come! Those who will, follow me!"

As Niju walked off, Balto saw that roughly half the pack followed behind him. These were males and pregnant females who strongly believed that action was the only way to get things done properly. Sasha had stayed behind along with her sister Chani, as well as their best friend Chakka.

"Nava, I'm sorry things turned out like this."

"No, it's fine Balto. Niju and I have been fighting like this quite often lately, and even though I love him very much, our marriage is dying like the autumn breeze. I've been meaning to end it with him for 2 years, but I can't bring myself to leave him alone like that. Please, will you lend us your wolf strength my brother?"

"Nava, I'm flattered but-"

"Anieu told me the one who would help us is 'One who is Wolf yet does not know it', and I know she was referring to you. We have until tomorrow to make a choice, please think it over in that time. For now, make yourselves at home…our home is your home."

The two wolf-dogs watched as Nava walked away, a sigh escaping Balto's lips as he thought of everything that'd just happened in the last few hours. Aleu wanted desperately to help them, but she was also hoping her mother would help as well.

"Mama, we have to help them."

"Absolutely not, Aleu. This isn't our problem, so we have no place interfering."

"Yes we do, they're our family…they need us, if we don't help them they won't survive the winter!"

"Aleu, this is much more complicated than anything we've been pulled into…this isn't the same as when Jenna kidnapped you, this is much bigger than that!"

Aleu looked at her mother confusedly, who was Jenna? And why did she kidnap Aleu?

"What are you talking about, mama?"

"I'm not surprised that you don't remember, after all you were just a pup when this happened. So, I'll tell you what she did 12 years ago when you were only 3 years old…and why I can never forgive her for it."

T.B.C.- Ooh, what did Jenna do that was so bad aside from kidnapping Aleu? Read on to find out what happened!


	7. Vengeful Bargain

**Winter Moon (a Balto 2 fic)**

Disc.: Only in my fantasies is Balto 2 mine officially, but in reality all I own is the mind that supplies these chapters to everyone who reads them.

A/N: Wow, I can't believe that people are still reading this story and reviewing it too! Thanks so much to all of you, so as a reward for being so nice to me and my stories, I'll reveal what happened to Aleu when she was a baby and Jenna kidnapped her!

**Ch.7- Vengeful Bargain**

Balto looked at his daughter and sat down in front of her, what he was about to tell her wasn't exactly something that he wanted to remember. It was still painful even to this day, for it only brought him sadness and anger at the bitch who did it to them.

"It was 12 years ago, and Steele was coming to visit and spend time with us…however, I went away for a minute to get a drink of water, and when I came back I knew something was wrong."

(Flashback to 12 years ago, Aleu: age 3, normal P.O.V.)

_Balto looked at his puppies, his and Steele's as a smile came to rest on his face. Sometimes he couldn't believe how lucky he was to have such a wonderful mate like Steele, and these pups were proof of their love for each other. But lately, it seemed that Jenna was planning something…Balto could tell that she wasn't the same ever since the two of them had decided to become a mated pair, she acted nice and calm towards them, but something about the behavior seemed off and even unusual._

_The wolf-dog felt that she would try something to hurt them, but he had no idea what she'd do or even when she'd try to do it. As he waited for his loving mate, he felt the sun beating down upon him and his puppies as they all played together in the sand on the beach. Aleu was currently chasing her tail excitedly, and Balto knew that someday she'd be a great racing dog with the way her stamina had been building through her playing with her brothers and sisters. The sun kept climbing higher and higher in the sky, bringing more heat with its' light and making every resident on land thirsty._

_Balto himself was feeling his throat become dry with lack of moisture, the houseboat containing his bowl filled with fresh water nearby. He didn't want to leave the pups alone for even a second because something bad could happen to them, but he also didn't want to collapse from dehydration and get scolded by Steele for neglecting his health._

_Balto sighed and turned away to get a drink, his ears on constant alert for the telltale sounds of his family getting hurt as he hopped up onto the houseboat and began drinking from his water bowl._

_As the pups kept playing tag or even hide and seek, Aleu saw a butterfly flutter past her face and began chasing after it. The sun was making it hard to see the pretty creature as it flew higher into the air, and Aleu was starting to grow frustrated with the butterfly for being too high in the sky where she couldn't reach it. As she jumped up to nip and grab it between her teeth, she bumped into a furry leg and looked up to see what looked like another dog. She couldn't see their face because of the sun, but felt that she could trust them as the dog picked her up and walked off…a psychotic grin sliding onto the Husky's face as she walked off with her bait._

_After a minute or so of drinking, Balto resumed his post of watching the pups, but he noticed something was wrong. He began counting his pups, and came up short one pup. Aleu wasn't with the group, and at first Balto thought that maybe she'd snuck off to play with some birds or squirrels or even to chase a rabbit or butterfly and thought nothing of it at first. But as time stretched by, Balto felt panic start setting in when he realized that something might have happened to Aleu. He jumped down into the sand and began sniffing the area, trying to find his daughter's scent._

_After a few minutes of sniffing, he finally caught the scent of his little girl…along with another all too familiar scent, and it made him growl angrily. It was the scent of vanilla and deception with a touch of desperation, a scent he knew and loathed. _

_Jenna had kidnapped their daughter, and Balto was an idiot for leaving her alone for even a minute._

_The wolf-dog began crying loudly, his wailing sobs echoing loudly off the trees and into the forest. Every creature within hearing range also heard the sorrowful sounds reaching their ears and also began mourning for the loss the wolf-dog had suffered; Steele had also heard them and ran up to his distraught mate. The Malamute hugged Balto and started whispering soothing words into his ears, the wolf-dog turning around in his embrace and crying into his furry yet muscled chest._

"_Balto, love, what's wrong?"_

_After a few minutes of sobbing uncontrollably into his mate's hold, Balto looked up into dark cobalt orbs as tears kept streaming out of his golden irises and down his face._

"_It's Aleu…she was kidnapped by Jenna, and I took my eyes off her for a minute to drink some water, I can't believe I did something so stupid! I never should've left for even a second, I-"_

_Steele stopped his mate's saddened rambling with a kiss, tears falling out of his own dark eyes as the two mates stayed in this position for a few minutes. After oxygen needed to be reintroduced to their lungs, Steele looked at his mate and smiled sadly._

"_Don't worry love, we'll get her back. Now let's try and find that bitch's scent, if we find hers then we'll find our baby girl."_

_The two mates then separated to try and find the scent of a red Husky bitch and their daughter. Steele found the scent first and they tracked it to the center of town, the sun already setting and they just looked for Jenna as the sun kept sinking lower. After a few more minutes of searching, the aforementioned Husky bitch stepped out from hiding with a box in front of her. Balto and Steele looked over and saw Aleu's head pop up out of the box and smile at them, relief immediately washing over the pair._

_Then anger set in, what motive could she possibly have for doing this?!_

"_Jenna, I should've guessed as much from your scent that reeks of desperation you damned bitch." Balto said angrily, which made Jenna pissed off as she retaliated with an insult she knew would hurt him deeply._

"_Shut the fuck up, you damned filthy half-breed! You're as worthless as the rest of your pathetic family, so do us all a favor and die!" Jenna practically screamed at the wolf-dog, making him flinch at the tone and Steele stepped in front of his shaken up mate to glare daggers at the bitch for insulting Balto._

"_What do you want, Jenna?" the Malamute asked angrily, he wanted answers and he was gonna get them no matter what happened next. Jenna smiled at Steele in what she believed was the most seductive way ever, but it only came off as desperate and overly sweet._

"_It's simple really, dear Steele…I'll return your mongrel pup if you break up with Balto and be mine, give me puppies and never speak to him again. If you agree to these conditions, I'll let the filthy mutt you're standing in front of have his freak daughter back safe and sound. So, what do you say, honey?"_

_Steele almost gagged at how saccharine she sounded right now, but he was facing an impossible scenario right now. If he stayed with Balto then they'd never get Aleu back, but if he left him then he'd get their daughter back…however, by doing so he'd lose not only his mate but also his family. Steele was proud of many things, but what he was the most proud of was his family…and no Husky bitch was gonna take that away from them, no matter what._

"_Jenna…I only have one thing to say to your offer, and that is…"_

"_Yes?"_

"_You can shove it up your nonexistent pussy and go suck an old dog's syphilis infested cock, you fucking bitch! I would never leave Balto for you, and even if I did I could definitely do better than you…but I would never be unfaithful to him like you want me to, so I refuse!"_

_That set Jenna off, her lips curling back in a snarl as she lunged at them in anger while Steele turned his back towards the Husky bitch to shield his mate from her wrath…only the blow never came, all he heard was whining and thrashing as he turned around to see Patrick restraining Jenna with a muzzle and harness, a leash attached to the pink device around her body as the man shook his head at the two before leaning down to pet Steele affectionately._

"_Steele, Balto, I'm sorry for Jenna's behavior. I've been looking for her all day because we're moving away to California, she got out when I was talking to the movers and I had a feeling that she'd want to cause trouble for you both before we left. As for you two, congratulations on your family…as for you, missy, we're leaving and you're coming along whether you like it or not!" Patrick said as he attached a second leash to the choking collar behind the back of her head, her whines becoming deep and muffled inside the muzzle as she was forcibly dragged away from the dog she'd been wanting as a mate for years before she disappeared from their sight for good._

_Balto and Steele breathed a collective sigh of relief as they walked over to Aleu and took her home, their worries disappearing with the setting sun._

(Flashback ends)

Aleu was stunned, she had been kidnapped all because of some jilted Husky bitch's jealousy?

"After that night, we never saw Jenna again and a new family has moved into her house. They have a female dog named Annabelle who's really nice, and she even helped babysit you guys growing up so that your father and I could spend some more time together without having to worry too much about you." Balto said before he felt a cold breeze blow past him and it made him shiver somewhat.

"Back to what I was saying before I told you of that disaster, we're not staying to help them. Did you feel that wind? It's a sure sign that winter's coming early, and when the sun comes up tomorrow, we're _both_ leaving first thing in the morning."

Balto said in a tone of voice that left no room for argument before he turned and walked off towards a ledge that'd been warmed by the sun, Aleu following behind her mother as she thought of everything she'd been told a few minutes ago. In her mind, her choice had been made.

All that was left to do now was act upon it when morning came.

T.B.C.- So, that happened…Jenna's so evil in this, and I loved portraying her like that because Balto's too good for her and he deserves someone better than her, someone like Steele! Anyway, it's only in my fantasies that what's written here is reality, so I'll have to live with that…but I've made peace with it. Anyway, up next is pretty much either the end of the fic or the first part of the end, so stick around for it and see how everything goes down!


	8. Destiny

**Winter Moon (a Balto 2 fic)**

Disc.: Only in my fantasies is Balto 2 mine officially, but in reality all I own is the mind that supplies these chapters to everyone who reads them.

A/N: So, we're approaching the end of this story…please don't be sad about it, I hate to be the one to end it but I am the one who wrote the whole story in the first place, so it falls to me to make the ending one that you guys will be glad I put in to bring it to a close. That being said, thank you all for reading this from start to finish and I hope you'll be excited for any new stories from me in the near future.

**Ch.8- Destiny**

Aleu woke up from her deep slumber by the sound of the wind blowing through the canyon walls, she was no stranger to waking up before dawn…she chalked it up to a habit from her mother. Speaking of, she looked down to her left and saw him still asleep, but his expression was one of sadness and longing. Aleu could only guess that he was dreaming of her father Steele, and smiled lovingly at her mother before getting up and stretching her sore body from the rock she'd been sleeping on next to her mom.

After a few minutes of getting her body limber from stretching muscles and popping bones, she looked over to her left and saw a cliff overlooking the ocean. Sitting on the cliff edge was Nava, his face that of a wolf who was much wiser than his years. She decided to see what he was looking at and made her way to the cliff until she was sitting next to him, his voice holding knowledge that she knew she'd never have without years of devoting herself to learning everything she could and more as he spoke to her.

"A star dies, and a new one is born to take its' place. This has been the cycle of life and death for as long as time itself has stood, never changing and always unwavering in its' consistency. You have questions, do you not?"

By this time, Nava was looking at her with honey orbs full of intelligence and knowing as she responded to his query.

"Nava, why is Niju so vehemently against change? Is he afraid that something will happen to him if he leaves, and how long have you two been mates? Moreover, how did you two become mates in the first place?"

Nava sighed as he thought of how to answer the female wolf-dog's questions, his mind recalling his and Niju's rather unusual coupling as well.

"Niju is not a coward, and he's not afraid to die for what he believes is right for the whole of the pack. However, he _is_ afraid of change…he would rather face starvation than leave the land that he believes is rightfully ours, as for our coupling…it was many years ago, when we were both much younger wolves."

(Flashback- Nava: age 14, Niju: age 16)

_Niju found himself staring out at the ocean from a high cliff ledge, the waves gently lapping at the edges and the salted air caressing his dark fur. He thought of his hopefully soon to be mate Nava, and felt nervousness pooling in the pit of his stomach. For as long as he could remember, the sandy wolf's parents didn't really like him…well, his father Nolan didn't._

_Nolan had made it very clear that he didn't want his son mating with an overly aggressive and dominating alpha male, which Niju was very much. In fact, Nolan hated his guts to hell and beyond to the point where if they were ever alone the dark tan wolf would try to push him off a cliff or throw him into the ocean by the scruff of his neck…but Niju really loved Nava so he put up with Nolan's idiotic bullshit so that he could win their favor and get their blessings to mate with the sand colored beauty._

_Nava's mother Lorelai on the other hand liked Niju a little more than Nolan did, she'd seen how the dark furred wolf would stand up to other alphas that wanted nothing more than to hump her pup into submission. He'd even fight them off to prove that he was more deserving of her son than they were, sometimes he'd take on 3 or 4 alphas and walk away almost unscathed, the pearl white she-wolf smiling whenever she saw how her son would tend to the dark furred wolf lovingly and realized that this alpha was the right one for her pup…even if her mate didn't think so._

_Lorelai was awake by the time the sun had hit the halfway point in the sky and walked over to where Niju was standing, his expression giving away a wide variety of emotions: anxiety, fear, anger, and of course nervousness. She stood next to him and cleared her throat, his dark brown eyes locking with her jade green ones as she spoke to him._

"_Niju, would you please come with me to our cave? My mate and I would like to speak with you, if I were you I'd get there quickly- you know how much Nolan hates to wait to speak with someone about important matters."_

"_O-of course, Lorelai…please lead the way."_

_The two wolves ran towards a cave set into the center of the mountain, Lorelai walking in ahead of Niju and the dark furred male following her expectantly as he took in all three resident of the cave: Nolan was sitting on the left, his dark grey eyes sharp and intimidating as he saw Niju walk into the cave and sit down across from him and his mate. Lorelai sat on the right, her pristine white fur glimmering in the sunlight filtering in through the cave's top opening as she smiled at him with jade green eyes full of understanding. The last resident sat off to the right next to his mother, it was the wolf he'd been wanting to claim as his for so long…Nava, his honeyed orbs locking with his own dark brown and smiling shyly._

_Nolan cleared his throat loudly and this made Niju look at him determinedly, like all the times before he wouldn't back down under his gaze…he held the eyes with his own and sat there defiantly, he wouldn't chicken out and run away now, not when today was the day that he'd ask to have Nava as his mate._

"_Nolan, Lorelai…I've come today to ask for your blessings and wish to be Nava's mate."_

_Both wolves straightened up while Nava tensed up, he was hoping his father would finally accept Niju and let them be together._

"_Niju…my mate has told me of your efforts to protect our son from unworthy alphas, the ones who think of nothing more than to mate with him only for the sake of claiming him as theirs with no regard to his feelings. Ordinarily, I would never even consider you as a match for our only child, but after having a very lengthy discussion with both my mate and my son I have decided that you are worthy. You and Nava may become mates, but only if you swear on your life to protect him from everything and everyone that wishes him harm. Can you promise me that, son?"_

_The dark furred wolf was shocked, but then he smiled as he nodded his head in affirmation, excitement overwhelming him as he spoke back to his 'father'._

"_Absolutely, I swear on any grandpups that Nava and I have that I will never do him wrong in any way at all. I love him too much to even think of hurting him, he's my everything and I would sooner throw myself into the ocean than see even one hair on his head hurt at all."_

_Nava ran up to Niju and kissed him, neither caring that their parents were watching or smiling happily at them both._

(Flashback ends)

"Wow, so you guys have been together for a long time."

"Yes, it seemed as though our love would never wither away…we wanted pups, but it turned out I was infertile and Niju would refuse to take a female to sire pups for us. We would fight about that quite often, I wanted pups and didn't care if a female was needed to produce them…but Niju, though he wanted them as much as I did, didn't want to hurt me by mating with another. That may have hurt me more than he realized, but over the years we've just grown apart and our love is on its' last legs. But there's no more time for talking of the past, it seems my mate is taking it upon himself to procure food by stealing from other packs…we have to stop him or else the fighting will never cease once begun."

Aleu nodded at the sand colored wolf and ran off to put a stop to Niju's foolishness before it was too late.

Niju had gathered his followers and led them into a run, his mind already devising a way to get food without casualty to the pack.

"We'll strike the Bear pack first, they're small and should offer up no resistance in the face of a stronger pack!"

As the dark furred alpha male picked up speed, he stopped when he saw who had stepped in front of him to stop them. It was Balto, who'd heard them coming from quite a ways off and grew angry at what Niju was planning on doing.

"Hold on there, Niju…you're not striking anyone today, not as long as I'm here to stop you!"

"Make that both of us, mama." Aleu said as she stood next to Balto, her eyes narrowing at the dark furred wolf. Nava also stood with Balto and his daughter, which shocked Niju…even his mate was turning against him and taking sides with the outsiders?

"Nava, what are you doing?"

"I'm stopping you from doing something you'll regret, my love…this isn't the way we should gather food for ourselves, if we start taking from others then _they'll_ take from other packs that have hardly any food and so the cycle will never end."

"Back off, Nava! I don't want to turn against you, but if you're gonna impede on us then we'll have no choice but to force our way through!"

"No, my love…this time I will not listen to you, you need to see that this is not the way we will survive."

Before Niju could make any further attempts at trying to force his way past the intruders and his mate, the rest of the pack that'd stood with Nava was rallying behind him. Just when it seemed that war would break out between them all, Aleu's eyes began glowing once again as she received another vision from her grandmother Anieu. She shook her head and ran off, Balto following after his daughter only to find her standing at the edge of a cliff overlooking the beach. She was staring out at the forest on the other side, then she looked down at the ice caps floating on the water below them.

"Aleu, what's wrong?"

"It's just like before, with the bear…I see the caribou, they're running across the ice and into the forest."

"How?"

"I don't really know how, mama…all I know is what I'm seeing."

Balto looked down and saw that the ice caps were coming together and forming what appeared to be a bridge, Nava also looking down at the frozen ledges and then back at Aleu, who was receiving another vision.

Balto was shocked, if what his daughter had seen was true then they could very well save the whole pack from starvation.

"Aleu, is what you saw just now really true?"

"Yes, mama…without a doubt, the caribou crossed this ice bridge and made it to the forest on the other side. If we follow the same bridge, then the pack will also be able to get across and get the food they need."

Balto knew now that there was no way he could refuse his wolf brethren, even if he didn't want anything more than to take Aleu and get her back home with her family. As they all paired up and ran off towards the ice, Aleu stayed behind to help Nava across the ice. Niju watched with sadness as his mate left him on the beach, his resolve to be with him stronger than ever before. He jumped across the ice but when he tried to get onto the ledge with Nava, the fragile ice cap gave out from under his paws and he plunged into the frigid waters beneath it.

The three of them watched with horror as Niju slipped under the water, the other members of the pack on a separate ledge big enough for all of them to stand on as they howled loudly and mournfully. Nava was about to jump in and go after his mate when he saw that Niju had made it back to the beach, the sand colored wolf realizing that he could ever leave his beloved no matter how much they fought with each other.

Balto looked over at the pack of wolves, then back at Nava.

"Nava, can you…?"

Nava lowered his head away from Balto, his eyes closing in sorrow as he thought of his mate.

"No, you're right…you'll never make it in your condition. Well, it looks like I'll be joining them."

Aleu looked at her mother fearfully, if he left to be with the wolf pack then her father would be devastated beyond any hope of repairing his broken heart.

"No mama, you can't leave with them. You belong at home, with father…but I do belong here, don't you see? They need me, for this is who I am."

Nava's eyes widened in realization, it seemed that what Anieu had told him was finally coming full circle…he just didn't realize that the one to take his place would be Aleu.

"Now at last, I finally understand what Anieu meant when she said the one to aid us would be 'One who is Wolf but does not know'. At first I thought that she was referring to you, Balto, but I was wrong…it is your daughter, and now you must do what is right."

Balto knew full well what the old wolf meant, but his heart was breaking the whole time. Saying goodbye to one's pup was always the hardest thing to do, but it was for the best.

"Are you sure about this?"

Aleu nodded at her mother, it seemed that she'd finally found where she truly belonged at long last.

"It's just gonna be…so hard to…let my baby go."

"Oh mama, I'm not your…" Aleu could see the heartache clearly written all over her mom's face, and let the previous thought die on her tongue.

"Ok…so I'll always be your baby." The two shared what would be their last nuzzle together before Aleu smiled at her mother happily.

"Goodbye, mama. Tell dad that…I finally found my home."

Aleu turned and jumped into the freezing cold water, surfacing on the ledge with the other wolves a few minutes later and giving off a howl full of happiness as Balto smiled sadly at his daughter, his heart happy that she was where she belonged but sad at knowing he'd never see her again.

"Goodbye…daughter." Balto said as he watched the ice ledge with the wolf pack float away, Aleu had finally found her home…and even though it was far away, she would always be at home in his heart.

T.B.C.- So, only a little more until the story ends! Again, thank you all who read this story, so read and review please!


	9. Homecoming

**Winter Moon (a Balto 2 fic)**

Disc.: Only in my fantasies is Balto 2 mine officially, but in reality all I own is the mind that supplies these chapters to everyone who reads them.

A/N: Well, this is the final scene for our favorite wolf-dog family…but only in this fic, for the end is here! I just wanna say thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed the story this chapter will help wrap up. Therefore, I will give u guys an ending that you'll love and wanna read over again as many times as you want!

**Ch.9- Homecoming**

Balto and Nava had both made it back to the beach, the wolf-dog's heart was still breaking over the reality that the pup he'd raised for so long was never coming home with him. The hardest part would be telling Steele of what happened and hoping that he wouldn't be too broken up about it. Nava sensed the other male's distress and smiled fondly at him, his heart had also become heavy with sorrow at seeing the two say goodbye to each other.

"She will be a great leader, that much I can promise you Balto. But now, it is time for you to go home to the one who loves you."

The wolf-dog looked at Nava worriedly, what would happen to him now that he was pretty much alone?

"And what about you? Where will you go, now that your pack is pretty much gone Nava?"

"I will go and find Niju, after all we are still a pack…more importantly, we are mates, and cannot be whole without each other. We made a promise that no matter what happened we would never leave one without their beloved, and I intend to keep that promise. I'm sure you have a mate waiting for your return, so you should go to them…goodbye, my brother." Nava said as he walked off, leaving Balto standing on the cold and wet sand all alone. As he turned to leave, Balto saw the raven he'd followed to find his daughter caw at him before it disappeared.

"Ugh…now what?"

"_Only the journey home, my son."_

Balto's eyes widened when he heard a voice behind him, a voice he knew all too well. He turned around to find the source and was shocked, for this was the second time he'd seen her…a white wolf with eyes as blue as the ice cold waters that made one shiver when they touched them, the pupils rimmed with molten gold and overflowing with wisdom. Balto felt his heart warm up with the all too familiar feeling of love that a child has for their parent, even if said parent was gone forever (Three Days Grace reference, lol).

"Anieu? But you're-"

The white she-wolf howled only once before she disappeared in a flurry of white mist, almost like she was never there to begin with as Balto looked up to the darkening sky and smiled happily at seeing her for quite possibly the last time.

"Well, goodbye to you too…mother."

Balto stared at the sky for a few more minutes, his tears that had been falling without him knowing were wiped away by a gentle zephyr that felt like his mother's loving paw before he turned and began the long journey home to his mate…his heart uplifting with the love that his mother had given him before she left for good.

(With Niju and Nava)

Niju was shivering from the freezing cold water that'd soaked into his fur, his heart wishing for his mate to be with him and keep him warm like they'd done together in their youth. He knew that he'd perhaps done more harm than good by refusing his precious mate the pups he wanted for such a long time, but all that Niju cared about was staying true to his beloved one and not hurting him by bedding with another.

As his breaths came out in short, chattering puffs of air, he could vaguely see the outline of another wolf. Niju was ready to get up and fend them off but stayed on the ground when his blurred vision made out the all too familiar sandy coat of his beautiful mate, a smile coming to rest on his cold face.

Nava had come back, and now he wouldn't be alone as he felt his life being taken from him by the coldness creeping throughout his whole body.

"N-nava…you came back to me, but why?"

"Because, you are my mate and I will never leave you alone."

"But I was so cruel to you, I hurt you and fought with you…I doubted you, and refused your most treasured wish. Why would you stay with me when I've been nothing but horrible to you?"

"Niju…you may have hurt me so many times, too many to count, but that doesn't change the fact that you are my mate and I love you no matter what happened between us. And I admit, maybe I was too pushy about wanting puppies. None of that matters to me anymore, all that matters is that we're together until death and perhaps even into the next life. Will you let me stay with you, my beloved Niju?"

"Of course, my dearest Nava…I love you, forever and always, no matter what."

The two wolves shared a kiss before they faded in a flash of light, their souls going to the next world together and never being apart again.

(5 days later)

Steele was once again sitting on top of the houseboat, his cobalt orbs staring out at the forest. His heart was longing to see his two precious ones again, his mate and his daughter. He had kept doing this for almost 20 days, each day seemed to be a year's worth of waiting as he waited for them to come home.

As the Malamute saw the sun sinking down and beginning to change the clouds orange, he knew that it would be another day that his family wouldn't be coming back to him just yet. Steele was about to go home to Rosie when he heard the voice of his mate, his heart immediately hoping it wasn't an illusion or a dream, but it seemed that this was real.

Balto was standing in the entrance to the forest, smiling at him. Steele ran up to the wolf-dog and tackled him to the ground, the two sharing a deep kiss that soon became passionate as they let their tongues play together until they needed to breathe. As they took in massive breaths of air to resupply their lungs with oxygen, Steele laid down beside his mate and proceeded to ask him what all had happened in the 18 days they'd been gone.

As Balto recounted the whole story, Steele was shocked and also saddened. But at the same time, he was happy…if Aleu was really happy being the leader of a wolf pack, then he could sleep peacefully at night knowing that she was safe and where she truly belonged.

"Steele, I'm sorry that I couldn't bring her home."

The Malamute ruffled his mate's short hair with his paw playfully, a laugh coming from his throat.

"Don't be silly, Balto… she's happy isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is."

"Then you've already brought her home."

Balto realized that his mate was right, if she was happy then he knew that she was already home.

In their hearts, for that was where home really did lie. The two mates got up from the ground and headed back to Rosie's house, their tails intertwining and the sadness that'd settled over them long gone.

Balto had also realized something else…anywhere that Steele lived was _his_ home as the town of Nome greeted their sight, as well as many more years together under the starlit sky.

Wow, such a sad ending but also a happy one…I'm so grateful to everyone who read and/or reviewed this story. Unfortunately, I'm not gonna do the third movie for I have not seen it enough times to remember the whole storyline, and I really don't wanna separate our favorite yaoi pairing by having Balto fly away from Nome with a human and leave Steele at the mercy of any other Husky bitches like Jenna. So if u want another Balto/Steele story from me, it'll have to be one that's very different from this one…message me with suggestions if u do want one that's not a sequel to this one, until then thanks again and see ya'll around!


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